Wednesday, October 2, 2002
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Wednesday, October 2, 2002 |
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Fayette-only judicial circuit nixed by study By JOHN MUNFORD
A preliminary report presented to the Georgia Judicial Council recommends against creating a separate judicial circuit for Fayette County. The report, which was requested by state Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, indicates that a split would create a disproportionate caseload in either Fayette County or the other three counties in the current circuit (Spalding, Pike and Upson). The report also speculates that growth in the Griffin Judicial Circuit could require the addition of a fifth Superior Court judgeship in the coming few years, however. The Judicial Council took no action on the preliminary report, said Greg Arnold, assistant director for technology and research for the state's Administrative Office of the Court. A formal request to study the matter must be considered before the Judicial Council can make a recommendation, Arnold said. Any change to a judicial circuit boundaries must be approved by the state legislature, he added. The recent preliminary report only addressed the caseload and population criteria. Typically, the Judicial Council considers between 18 and 20 different criteria when considering a change to any judicial circuit, Arnold said. In evaluating the affect a Fayette split would have on the four counties' caseloads, the report considers two different scenarios: reassigning either one or two of the current Superior Court judges to Fayette, leaving the remainder to cover Spalding, Pike and Upson counties. Both situations, however, would lead to a disproportionate caseload for either Fayette or the other three-county circuit, the report states. Creating a separate judicial circuit for Fayette has received unanimous support from the local bar association, said local attorney Mike Hofrichter. "Fayette and Coweta are the only metro Atlanta counties which are not their own circuit," Hofrichter said. "Rockdale and Douglas counties have their own circuits and they are smaller." The significant benefit of creating a separate judicial circuit for Fayette County would be the 24-hour availability of a judge, Hofrichter said. Currently, only one of the four Superior Court judges Christopher Edwards lives in Fayette. Cases in the circuit are specifically assigned to one of the four judges, which can create scheduling problems. "We are very blessed with the quality of our judges here," Hofrichter said. "If things stay the same, that's a good thing."
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